While arid environments such as deserts and semi-deserts are often somewhat inhospitable to vegetation, nevertheless there are varieties of succulents and other vegetation that can survive and even thrive unassisted in all but the harshest environments. Under certain circumstances, it can be desirable to introduce new vegetation into an arid environment so as to stabilize the underlying sand or soil, reduce the prevalence of blown dust and sand, beautify the landscape, and/or re-establish an ecosystem after it has been damaged by industrial activity or by a natural disaster. Unfortunately, the initial introduction of such vegetation can be difficult and time consuming, due to the poor water retention of the sand or soil, the slow growth that is typical of desert and semi-desert vegetation, and the fragility of immature vegetation until it has established a sufficient root system to allow it to obtain water and to resist wind and excess sun exposure.
Furthermore, it may be desirable to grow vegetation such as edible food plants in arid environments while minimizing the cost and labor associated with initiating and maintaining the vegetation.
Of course, scarcity of water is the feature that more or less defines an arid environment. When an arid location is devoid of mature vegetation this scarcity of water is typically multiplied, because high temperatures and the prevalence of unshaded sunshine can tend to quickly evaporate any moisture that is present. In addition, the ground in an arid environment is often very sandy, such that any precipitation that falls as rain or forms on the surface as dew tends to be absorbed quickly into the sand, wherein it settles to a depth that is beyond reach of the root systems of vegetation.
Once vegetation is well established in an arid location, it can play a significant autogenic role in improving the environment by blocking direct sunlight and by capturing and retaining available moisture before it is absorbed or evaporated. Furthermore, over time, decomposing vegetation can reduce the porosity of the soil and thereby further improve the retention of water near the surface. However, even newly-planted vegetation that is adapted to arid environments often has a very difficult time surviving until it has matured. And, of course, food plants and other vegetation that is not adapted to arid environments requires continued support when cultivated in an arid environment.
Existing methods for introducing and growing vegetation in arid ecosystems are typically expensive and risky, and the benefits are often short-lived. Current approaches to arid ecosystem rehabilitation are extensions of traditional agronomic technologies were developed under more hospitable climates, and require intensive tending and excessive use of irrigation to have any chance of success. Often, such an expenditure of time and resources is not practical, and serves as a barrier to the restoration and/or improvement of arid environments, and to farming and other cultivation of non-arid vegetation in arid environments. In particular, it can be difficult to obtain sufficient water for the necessary irrigation without excessive cost.
Furthermore, traditional approaches to introducing such vegetation typically require construction and use of extensive irrigation systems and other structures and maintenance equipment that are not natural to the environment. Even if they are subsequently removed, the environmental damage that is left behind can remain for an extended period of time.
What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus and method for introducing and growing vegetation in arid environments while minimizing both initial and long term maintenance requirements, including water usage.